1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to spacers to be used between nested galvanized metal pieces positioned one on top of another, such as elongated angle iron pieces, with stacks of such pieces being positioned side-by-side and strapped to form a bundle.
2. Description of Prior Art
When shipping elongated pre-formed galvanized metal pieces having a nestable profile, it is customary to stack these metal pieces one on top of another to form stacks and then to bundle these stacks side by side. It is also customary to provided an insert between each nested piece so that air can circulate between these pieces and water drained therefrom whereby to prevent the formation of white rust between the nested pieces in the bundle. This was accomplished by providing wooden inserts between the nested metal pieces but this practice is now substantially discontinued for the reason that wood absorbs moisture and still produced rust in the area where the wood pieces were positioned. It is usually the practice to stack these profile pieces with their peaks facing up so that water will drain downwards during shipping.
In order to attempt to overcome the abovementioned disadvantage of the use of wooden inserts, there is now provided small preformed plastic pieces of like profile as the nested material pieces and which fits in the crest of the nested pieces. These plastic inserts are provided with opposed flat surfaces to provide good contact with the metal pieces so that the inserts do not fall out. However, there are several problems with these small plastic inserts and one is that they are timeconsuming to install as they have a tendency to fall off, due to their small sizes. Also, because they are constructed of plastic, they tend to compress when subjected to a heavy load. Still further, it is not possible to make a high stack with these plastic inserts as the stack will bend due to its instability created by the small plastic inserts provided in the nested crest portions. A still further disadvantage is that by using plastic inserts, the inserts soften at high temperatures and compress even more. When subjected to cold temperatures, the plastic inserts become brittle and often break by vibrations imparted to the bundle. Thus, there results metal-to-metal contact and corrosion can take place. When the plastic inserts compress, the strappings of the bundle also become loose and the metal pieces within the load start shifting causing damage to the surroundings and are particularly hazardous during transportation of such bundle on a flat-bed truck or on a ship where the metal pieces can become loose or fall off a truck. Accordingly, the use of such plastic pieces has not been found to be adequate, particularly when shipping bundles for long distances where the bundle is exposed to salt-water spray.
A still further method has been utilized in order to prevent stacks of nested elongated metal pieces from bending to permit higher stacks to be formed. That method comprised inverting one or more metal angle pieces between opposed stacks, and at spaced intervals, whereby to bridge the stacks and provide better stacking of a bundle. A disadvantage of using inverted metal pieces throughout the bundle is that these pieces then act as troughs in which water can be collected and these pieces will quickly rust, particularly when exposed to salt-water spray such as on ships or on flat-bed trucks when displaced over roadways which have been salted during winter seasons. Also, the adjacent metal pieces which engage with this inverted piece also rust and this rust will flow down into the bundle. Accordingly, this method has also not been found adequate for shipping these bundles in an environment where there is salt-water spray.